From little league baseball to the world of college and professional sports and the numerous ESPN channels that track them, it is clear that sports play a significant role in our culture and society and yet, we often take for granted this significance. This course introduces students to the anthropology of sports through an examination of the rituals, political and economic dimensions, and social and cultural meanings of sports from around the globe in both the past and the present.

From little league baseball to the world of college and professional sports and the numerous ESPN channels that track them, it is clear that sports play a significant role in our culture and society and yet, we often take for granted this significance. This course introduces students to the anthropology of sports through an examination of the rituals, political and economic dimensions, and social and cultural meanings of sports from around the globe in both the past and the present.